as in....is it true Fadda, did Rocky turn chicken?
Ping!
Just love the Reason and Logic in Catholic Theology. We are so missing “Common Sense” in the world today!!! Thanks for posting.
Even if someone is not catholic, must that person call the catholic priest “father”? Or, how about a muslim imam, is that man to be called by his religious title by a non-muslim? And, if the individual refuses to call those men by their titles, what then?
One earthly father, one heavenly one.
Being as how everyone has an earthly father, it would therefore be the only logical interpretation.
as in....is it true Fadda, did Rocky turn chicken?
Reason number 130249 for using Douay Rheims.
I don’t get too wound up over this sort of thing. I assume God knows the difference. I’m not even Catholic and I call priests “Father” out of basic respect the same way I call a surgeon, “Doctor”.
With Protestant ministers it varies with the individual. The minister that married my wife and I was a longtime friend so I just call him by name but my wife called him “Pastor”.
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If nuns are called “sisters” why not call priests “brothers”?
Just to take a quote at random:
“Sounds okay so far, but here's the problem. In I John 2:13-14, St. John refers to the leaders of the church in Ephesus to whom he is most likely writing as “fathers” twice. And notice he gives them the title “father.””
Uhhh...No, John isn't using “father” as a title. John also addresses his letter to young men and young/little children in the same sense as to “fathers”. John speaks to their level of spiritual maturity and experience in vss. 13, 14 and even calls all them “my children” in vs.1 of chap. 2.
In no way does John use “father” as a title anymore than “young men, little children” is used as a title.
The rest of the article is even worse.
**For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.**
One nail in the coffin.
**Ultimately, Jesus is condemning the usurpation of the fatherhood of God in Matthew’s Gospel, not the proper participation in that fatherhood.**
Secon nail in the coffin lid.
Case closed.
I call my biological father “Daddy.” I call my pastor “Father Gary.” (That’s his surname. When we had an African pastor, I called him “Father Paul” and didn’t attempt to pronounce his last name.)
I don’t think Jesus wanted us to be in a fuss over this. If we are, we’ve misunderstood Him. We use family titles for all sorts of people. My boss in Hispanic Ministry is the children’s Abuela. Asuncion is “la hermana de mi alma” and Kathleen’s Tia. The cute guitarist with Grupo Kerygma is “Brother Francisco.”
The Catholic Church is about making everyone into one family.
Of all the objections to Catholicism, this is the Charlie Browniest.
1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
The veil was torn and there is now only one High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, and all believers are priests.
The RCC has set up a false, unscriptural, hierarchy so the debate of calling a false office holder by any name is moot.
As a Catholic, I say, “Who cares?” With all of the important matters in this world and in our individual faiths, arguing over addressing a priest as Father, is as dumb as the old argument over how many angels can fit on the head of a pin.
I am a volunteer chaplain’s assistant in a non-sectarian hospital. The current hospital chaplain happens to be a Catholic priest. His predecessor was a Protestant. The Catholic chaplain’s assistants address him as Father, and the Protestant and Jewish chaplain’s assistants address him as Chaplain. The issue of how to address this priest has never come up.
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Excellent article, NYer. Thank you.